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rainbowbookworm's review
4.0
This one is haunting (pun intended).
A unique take on a memoir of what we leave behind as we grow older.
A unique take on a memoir of what we leave behind as we grow older.
fuzzyhead's review
4.0
Maggie Thrash's graphic novel"Honor Girl" was a moving coming of age memoir. It chronicles one summer in Maggie's life, during which she experiences the euphoria and heartbreak of first love, while coming to terms with her own sexuality. I absolutely loved it. (Shoutout to the good people at the Candlewick both at Book Con for hooking me up with a copy.)
I was therefore very excited to read the follow up, "Lost Soul, Be at Peace." Set during the school year following that fateful summer, this book shows Thrash grappling with undiagnosed depression while navigating home life with her parents who just...don't get it. She finds solace in the company of her beloved cat, Thomasina. Unfortunately, one night, Thomasina inexplicably disappears. In her place, a mysterious ghost of a young boy appears in Thrash's home, and the two begin a friendship.
"Lost Soul" is also a memoir, but where "Honor Girl" was solidly grounded in reality, the ghost-story in this book adds an element of fantasy. It's not there without purpose; the ghost story underscores the book's themes of growing up and of loss. Still, I was a little taken aback when I first started reading. I think I was expecting a more straightforward sequel, similar in tone to "Honor Girl." But once I got over that initial surprise, I ended up really enjoying this. I didn't have quite as strong an emotion reaction to this as I did to "Honor Girl." That book is in a class of its own, at least for me. (I also spotted this book's plot twist pretty early on.) But I was still moved by Maggie's loneliness and pain. So, kudos.
I was therefore very excited to read the follow up, "Lost Soul, Be at Peace." Set during the school year following that fateful summer, this book shows Thrash grappling with undiagnosed depression while navigating home life with her parents who just...don't get it. She finds solace in the company of her beloved cat, Thomasina. Unfortunately, one night, Thomasina inexplicably disappears. In her place, a mysterious ghost of a young boy appears in Thrash's home, and the two begin a friendship.
"Lost Soul" is also a memoir, but where "Honor Girl" was solidly grounded in reality, the ghost-story in this book adds an element of fantasy. It's not there without purpose; the ghost story underscores the book's themes of growing up and of loss. Still, I was a little taken aback when I first started reading. I think I was expecting a more straightforward sequel, similar in tone to "Honor Girl." But once I got over that initial surprise, I ended up really enjoying this. I didn't have quite as strong an emotion reaction to this as I did to "Honor Girl." That book is in a class of its own, at least for me. (I also spotted this book's plot twist pretty early on.) But I was still moved by Maggie's loneliness and pain. So, kudos.
superally's review
3.0
Honestly, this didn't grab my attention. I thought it was OK. I don't really have any reason or thought that it was bad. It just didn't grab me.
hayleybeale's review
4.0
In this idiosyncratic graphic sequel to Honor Girl (2015), Thrash (also author of the deeply fabulous We Know It Was You) mixes memoir with fiction to convey vividly the intensity of growing up. Read my full review here.
lawbooks600's review
emotional
medium-paced
3.0
Representation: Black character
Score: Six points out of ten.
I saw Lost Soul, Be at Peace, hiding on a library shelf, so I wanted to read it. Soon enough, I picked it up and read it, but when I finished the novel, I realised a few aspects of the book. First, it was part of a series, but unfortunately, the library didn't have the first instalment, Hono[u]r Girl. However, at its best, Lost Soul, Be at Peace was disorienting--the text was underwhelming at worst.
It starts with the first person I see, Maggie Thrash, living in a mansion a year and a half after an event I don't know much of. She recounts her life thus far as uneventful and even depressing as she isn't doing too well in 11th grade, and to top everything off, her cat disappeared. Maggie spends the opening pages searching for that feline when she stumbles across another ghostly character, Tommy. I can understand why Maggie is depressed because her parents neglect her, but she also talks about how her coming out has gone unnoticed, which rubbed me the wrong way. It's like she wants attention from that. I couldn't connect or relate to any of the characters, and the story does not make an outstanding memoir because it's too monotonous. The conclusion is a high note, but petered out Lost Soul, Be at Peace. I don't know anyone who has Hono[u]r Girl yet, so I'll never know what happened there.
Score: Six points out of ten.
I saw Lost Soul, Be at Peace, hiding on a library shelf, so I wanted to read it. Soon enough, I picked it up and read it, but when I finished the novel, I realised a few aspects of the book. First, it was part of a series, but unfortunately, the library didn't have the first instalment, Hono[u]r Girl. However, at its best, Lost Soul, Be at Peace was disorienting--the text was underwhelming at worst.
It starts with the first person I see, Maggie Thrash, living in a mansion a year and a half after an event I don't know much of. She recounts her life thus far as uneventful and even depressing as she isn't doing too well in 11th grade, and to top everything off, her cat disappeared. Maggie spends the opening pages searching for that feline when she stumbles across another ghostly character, Tommy. I can understand why Maggie is depressed because her parents neglect her, but she also talks about how her coming out has gone unnoticed, which rubbed me the wrong way. It's like she wants attention from that. I couldn't connect or relate to any of the characters, and the story does not make an outstanding memoir because it's too monotonous. The conclusion is a high note, but petered out Lost Soul, Be at Peace. I don't know anyone who has Hono[u]r Girl yet, so I'll never know what happened there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Animal death, Slavery, Racism, Blood, Vomit, and Child abuse
Full trigger warnings: Disappearance and death of a cat, racism, slavery and abuse mentioned, blood depiction, emesis, child neglect, depressionjwinchell's review
4.0
Lost Soul, Be At Peace is Thrash’s attempt at putting to bed the loss of her cat, her complex relationship with her stoic judge dad, her teenage depression, a ghost she needs to understand better. There were no blank eyes like in Honor Girl, so I found the other characters likable. This is a memoir with a ghost story- dark, kinda freaky, earnest, interesting.
mbrandmaier's review
3.0
A fictionalized memoir of the author’s junior year of high school. Maggie is experiencing depression, but no one at school or home seems to notice. When her beloved cat goes missing, Maggie begins to see and communicate with a ghost/spirit. Will Maggie and the spirit ever find peace?
kice7788's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this one! I have read Honor Girl earlier this year so when i saw she came out with another one I needed to get it. I thought it was such a good story and some things supprised me in the end! I will say though I am still not a fan of her artwork. But if thats the onky negative then it was pretty good!!